Device and method for linking communications with location data

ABSTRACT

An electronic device includes a communication component; a location-determining component; a display; and a computing device all housed within a portable, handheld housing or other enclosure. The communications component transmits and receives mobile communications over a wireless communication network or path and provides identification information to the computing device. The location determining component determines locations of the electronic device as it is carried or driven from place to place and provides corresponding location data to the computing device. The computing device links the identification information with the location data to indicate the location of the device when a communication was made or received. The identification information and location data may be linked by adding a geocode or geotag to the identification information or by cross-referencing the information and data in a database. The computing device may also display a representation of the location data alongside a representation of the communication on a cartographic map and then display some of the identification information for the communication when a user scrolls over or otherwise selects either of the representations.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of, and claims prioritybenefit to, co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. patent applicationentitled “DEVICE AND METHOD FOR LINKING COMMUNICATIONS WITH LOCATIONDATA,” application Ser. No. 12/015,834, filed Jan. 17, 2008, which isherein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to electronic devices such as navigationdevices, cellular phones, and the like. More particularly, the inventionrelates to a device and method for linking communications received by anelectronic device with location data.

Mobile phones equipped with or attached to GPS receivers or otherlocation-determining components are becoming increasingly popularbecause they allow users to make and receive phone calls and navigate todesired locations with a single electronic device rather than two. Up tonow, however, these combined devices have provided few synergies, witheach component basically operating the same way it does as a stand-alonedevice.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a distinct advance in the art ofGPS-enabled mobile phones and similar devices by providing such a devicewith operational features not found in either stand-alone mobile phonesor navigational devices. Embodiments of the present invention may beimplemented with an electronic device that includes a communicationcomponent; a location-determining component; a display; and a computingdevice all housed within a portable, handheld enclosure.

The communications component transmits and receives mobilecommunications over a wireless communication network or path. In oneembodiment, the communications component is a cellular transceiver thattransmits and receives mobile phone calls, text messages, instantmessages, voicemail messages, and other communications over a cellulartelephone network.

The location determining component determines locations of theelectronic device as it is carried or driven from place to place andprovides corresponding location data to the computing device. In oneembodiment, the location-determining component is a GPS receiver thatreceives satellite signals from a plurality of GPS satellites anddetermines location information as a function of the satellite signals.

The computing device is coupled with the communications component forreceiving identification information related to communications receivedby or transmitted from the device. The identification information mayinclude, for example, a calling party's phone number, the date and timeof the call, and the duration of the call.

The computing device is also coupled with the location-determiningcomponent for receiving location data therefrom. The location data mayinclude, for example, data that identifies the location or approximatelocation of the device at the time or approximate time an incomingcommunication is received by the communication component. The locationdata may also identify the location of the electronic device when anincoming communication has ended and at intermediate locations.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the computing devicelinks the identification information for an incoming communication withthe location data to indicate the location of the device when theincoming communication was received. The identification information andlocation data may be linked by adding a geocode or geotag to theidentification information or by cross-referencing the information anddata in a database.

The computing device may also display a representation of the locationdata alongside a representation of the communication. For example, thecomputing device may display a cartographic map and a location symbol orother marker on the map to denote the position of the device when anincoming call was received. A user may then scroll over or otherwiseselect the marker to retrieve and display some of the identificationinformation for the communication such as the caller's phone number.

The computing device may also display a list of communications sorted bythe distance between the user's current location and the user's locationwhen the communications were transmitted or received. Similarly, thelist of communications may be sorted based on their distance from someuser-specified location such as a shopping mall.

The device may also display a chronologically-ordered communication log.A user may then select a communication from the list to view thelocation of the device when the communication was received ortransmitted. The location may be a textual description or shown on amap.

Embodiments of the invention may be used, for example, when a userreceives a phone call or misses a phone call while at a location orperforming an activity (e.g., shopping at a shopping mall). The user maywant to return the call later but may not remember the phone number ofthe calling party or the day and time the call was received. The usermay remember, however, where he or she was when the call was received ormissed. The user may then view a map with makers denoting the positionsof the device when incoming calls were received. The user can scrollover or otherwise select any of the markers (such as a marker located ata mall) to obtain identification information for the call received whenthe device was at that location. The computing device may alsoautomatically dial the phone number of the calling party or perform someother function when the user selects or otherwise interacts with themarker.

These and other aspects of the present invention are described morefully in the detailed description below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below withreference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an electronic device that may be used toimplement exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating certain components of the deviceof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is schematic diagram of a Global Positioning System (GPS) thatmay be used to send GPS signals to the electronic device;

FIG. 4 is a sample screen display of the electronic device;

FIG. 5 is another sample screen display of the electronic device;

FIG. 6 is another sample screen display of the electronic device;

FIG. 7 is a sample database or information table that may be stored inor accessed by the electronic device;

FIG. 8 is another sample database or information table that may bestored in or accessed by the electronic device;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating selected steps in an exemplarymethod of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating selected steps in anotherexemplary method of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating selected steps in anotherexemplary method of the present invention.

The drawing figures do not limit embodiments of the present invention tothe specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawingsare not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the invention references theaccompanying drawing figures that illustrate specific embodiments inwhich the present invention can be practiced. The embodiments areintended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Otherembodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departingfrom the scope of the present invention. The following detaileddescription is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in hardware,software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, theinvention is implemented with an electronic device 10, an example ofwhich is illustrated in FIG. 1. The electronic device 10 may be anydevice operable to transmit and receive communications and to receive,utilize, or otherwise determine geographic information such as a currentlocation of the device.

In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 10 is alocation-enabled communication device such as a GPS-enabled mobilephone. The electronic device 10 and its components illustrated anddescribed herein are merely examples of a device and components that maybe used to implement the present invention and may be replaced withother devices and components without departing from the scope of thepresent invention.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2, an exemplary embodiment of the electronicdevice 10 may include a communication component 12, alocation-determining component 14, a display 16, and a computing device18. The electronic device 10 may also include memory 20, a userinterface 22, a power source 24, a transmitter 26, a receiver 28, one ormore I/O ports 30, and a housing 32 for housing the various componentsof the device 10.

The communications component 12 enables the device 10 to communicatewith other electronic devices through a communication network, such asthe Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, an ad hoc orpeer to peer network, or a direct connection such as a USB, Firewire, orBluetooth™ connection, etc. The communications component 12 maycommunicate utilizing wireless data transfer methods such as WiFi(802.11), Wi-Max, Bluetooth™, ultra-wideband, infrared, cellulartelephony, radio frequency, etc.

The communications component 12 may make and receive any communicationsincluding incoming and outgoing phone calls, text messages, instantmessages, voicemail messages, e-mail messages, missed phone calls, andany other known communications.

The communications component 12 also receives or generatesidentification information related to the communications. For example,the identification information for an incoming phone call may includethe calling party's phone number, the calling party's name or otheridentification (ID), the time and date of receipt of the call, theduration of the call, and the ending time of the call. Similarly, for anoutgoing call, the identification information may include the calledparty's phone number and name, the date and time the call was made, andthe date and time the call ended. The identification information may beembedded with the communications in in-band or out-of-band signaling.Some of the identification information, such as the duration of calls,may be generated by the computing device 18 or other components of theelectronic device 10.

The identification information is generated by or sent to the computingdevice 18 or stored in memory coupled with or accessible by thecomputing device such as the memory 20. As explained in more detailbelow, the computing device then links or otherwise associates theidentification information with location data generated by thelocation-determining component 14.

In one embodiment, the communications component 12 is a cellulartransceiver for transmitting and receiving communications over acellular phone network such as those operated by Sprint®, AT&T®,Verizon®, and other companies. The cellular phone network may operatewith GSM (Global System for Mobile communications), CDMA (Code DivisionMultiple Access), or any other known standards.

The communications component 12 may also permit communications overseveral different networks. For example, the device 10 may be operableto transmit and receive communications over a cellular network, ashort-range FM radio network, and a WiFi network.

The location determining component 14 determines locations of the device10 as it is carried or otherwise moved from place to place and generatesand sends corresponding location data to the computing device 18 so thatit may be linked or otherwise associated with the identificationinformation for the communications as described in more detail below.The location data may include data which identifies the location of theelectronic device 10 at the time (or approximate time) a communicationis received by or transmitted from the communication component 12. Inone embodiment, the location determining component may be a globalpositioning (GPS) receiver much like those provided in products byGARMIN INTERNATIONAL, INC.

FIG. 3 shows a representative view of a GPS denoted generally byreference numeral 34. A plurality of satellites 36 are in orbit aboutthe Earth 38. The orbit of each satellite is not necessarily synchronouswith the orbits of other satellites and, in fact, is likelyasynchronous. A GPS receiver device such as the electronic device 10 isshown receiving spread spectrum GPS satellite signals from the varioussatellites 36.

The spread spectrum signals continuously transmitted from each satellite36 utilize a highly accurate frequency standard accomplished with anextremely accurate atomic clock. Each satellite 36, as part of its datasignal transmission, transmits a data stream indicative of thatparticular satellite. The device 10 must acquire spread spectrum GPSsatellite signals from at least three satellites for the GPS receiverdevice to calculate its two-dimensional position by triangulation.Acquisition of an additional signal, resulting in signals from a totalof four satellites, permits the device 10 to calculate itsthree-dimensional position.

The location determining component 14 and the computing device 18 areoperable to receive navigational signals from the GPS satellites 36 andto calculate positions of the device 10 as a function of the signals.The location determining component 14 and computing device 18 may alsodetermine track logs or any other series of geographic coordinatescorresponding to points along a path traveled by a user of the device10. The location determining component 14 and/or the computing device 18are also operable to calculate routes to desired locations, provideinstructions to navigate to the desired locations, display maps andother information on the display screen 16, and to execute otherfunctions described herein.

The location determining component 14 may include an antenna to assistin receiving the satellite signals. The antenna may be a patch antenna,a linear antenna, or any other type of antenna that can be used withnavigational devices. The antenna may be mounted directly on or in thehousing 32 or may be mounted external to the housing.

Although one embodiment of the electronic device 10 includes a GPSreceiver, it will be appreciated that other location-determiningtechnology may be used. For example, a receiver suitable for use withother global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) may be used instead orin addition to the GPS receiver. Alternatively, the communicationscomponent 12 may be used to determine the location of the device 10 byreceiving data from at least three transmitting locations and thenperforming basic triangulation calculations to determine the relativeposition of the device 10 with respect to the transmitting locations.For example, cellular towers or any customized transmitting radiofrequency towers can be used instead of satellites. With such aconfiguration, any standard geometric triangulation algorithm can beused to determine the location of the electronic device 10.

In other embodiments, the location determining component 14 need notdirectly determine the current geographic location of the device 10. Forinstance, the location determining component 14 may determine thecurrent geographic location by receiving location information directlyfrom the user, through a communications network, or from anotherelectronic device.

The location determining component 14 may include one or moreprocessors, controllers, or other computing devices and memory so thatit may calculate location and other geographic information without thecomputing device 18 or it may utilize the components of the computingdevice 18. Further, the location determining component 14 may beintegral with the computing device 18 such that the location determiningcomponent 14 may be operable to specifically perform the variousfunctions described herein. Thus, the computing device 18 and locationdetermining component 14 can be combined or be separate or otherwisediscrete elements.

The display 16 is coupled with the computing device 16 and is operableto display various information corresponding to the device 10, such asmaps, locations, and directions as described below. The display 16 maycomprise conventional black and white, monochrome, or color displayelements including, but not limited to, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD),Thin Film Transistor (TFT) LCD, Polymer Light Emitting Diode (PLED),Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) and/or plasma display devices.Preferably, the display 16 is of sufficient size to enable the user toeasily view it while driving.

The display 16 may be integrated with the user interface 22, such as inembodiments where the display 16 is a touch-screen display to enable theuser to interact with it by touching or pointing at display areas toprovide information to the device 10.

The computing device 18 may include any number of processors,controllers, integrated circuits, programmable logic devices, or othercomputing devices and resident or external memory for storing data andother information accessed and/or generated by the device 10. Thecomputing device 18 is preferably coupled with the communicationscomponent 12, the location determining component 14, the display 16, thememory 20, the user interface 22, and other components through wired orwireless connections, such as a data bus 40, to enable information to beexchanged between the various components.

The computing device 18 may implement a computer program and/or codesegments to perform the functions described herein. The computer programmay comprise an ordered listing of executable instructions forimplementing logical functions in the computing device. The computerprogram can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or inconnection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device,and execute the instructions. In the context of this application, a“computer-readable medium” can be any means that can contain, store,communicate, propagate or transport the program for use by or inconnection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.The computer-readable medium can be, for example, but not limited to, anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electro-magnetic, infrared, orsemi-conductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. Morespecific, although not inclusive, examples of the computer-readablemedium would include the following: an electrical connection having oneor more wires, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM),an erasable, programmable, read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), aportable computer diskette, and a portable compact disk read-only memory(CDROM).

The memory 20 may be integral with the location determining component14, integral with the computing device 18, stand-alone memory, or acombination of both. The memory may include, for example, removable andnon-removable memory elements such as RAM, ROM, Flash, magnetic,optical, USB memory devices, and/or other conventional memory elements.

The memory 20 may store various data associated with operation of thedevice 10, such as the computer program and code segments mentionedabove, or other data for instructing the computing device 18 and otherdevice elements to perform the steps described herein. Further, thememory 20 may store various cartographic data corresponding togeographic locations including map data, and map elements, such asthoroughfares, terrain, alert locations, points of interest, geographicentities, radio stations, and other navigation data to facilitate thevarious navigation functions provided by the device 10. Additionally,the memory 20 may store destination addresses and previously calculatedor otherwise acquired routes to various destination addresses for laterretrieval by the computing device 18.

The memory 20 or some other memory accessible by the computing device 18stores cartographic information including known roads, road networks,road segments, intersections, hiking trails, tracks or any other knownpaths for which the geographic coordinates are known. As used herein,“roads” is meant to include all drivable surfaces including, but notlimited to, highways, streets, boulevards, avenues, parkways, ruralroutes, terraces, and even private streets, driveways, and parking lots.The cartographic information may be pre-loaded in the memory 20 or othermemory or may be downloaded to the device via the communicationscomponent 22, receiver 28, or I/O ports 30. For example, differentcartographic information may be downloaded to the device based on acurrent location of the device as determined by the location determiningcomponent 14 or computing device 18.

The various data stored within the memory 20 may be associated withinone or more databases to facilitate retrieval of the information. Forexample, the databases may be configured to enable the computing device18 to automatically access the cartographic information based upon acurrent geographic location of the device 10 as discussed in more detailbelow.

A map-matching search engine, preferably comprised of software, firmwareor the like executed by the computing device 18, may search through thedatabase of cartographic information to find known roads or other knownpaths which match a series of geographical coordinates. A user mayinitiate a search or the search engine may automatically search thedatabase based on a state of the device 10 such as the current positionof the device 10. The search engine, or alternatively a separatecomputation engine (also preferably comprised of software, firmware orthe like executed by the computing device 18), may also performcalculations related to the cartographic information. The map mappingsearch engine may also identify a map location, such as a street addressor intersection, associated with one or more geographical coordinates.

The user interface 22 permits a user to operate the device 10 andenables users, third parties, or other devices to share information withthe device 10. The user interface 22 is generally associated with thehousing 32, such as by physical connection through wires, etc, orwirelessly utilizing conventional wireless protocols. The user interface22 need not be physically coupled with the housing 32.

The user interface 22 may comprise one or more functionable inputs suchas buttons, switches, scroll wheels, a touch screen associated with thedisplay, voice recognition elements such as a microphone, pointingdevices such as mice, touchpads, trackballs, styluses, a camera such asa digital or film still or video camera, combinations thereof, etc.Further, the user interface 22 may comprise wired or wireless datatransfer elements such as removable memory including the memory 20, datatransceivers, etc, to enable the user and other devices or parties toremotely interface with the device 10. The device 10 may also include aspeaker for providing audible instructions and feedback.

The user interface 22 may be operable to provide various information tothe user utilizing the display 16 or other visual or audio elements suchas a speaker. Thus, the user interface 22 enables the user and device 10to exchange information relating to the device 10, including geographicentities, configuration information, security information, preferences,route information, points of interests, alerts and alert notification,navigation information, waypoints, a destination address, etc.

The power source 24 is associated with the housing 32 to provideelectrical power to various device 10 elements. For example, the powersource 24 may be directly or indirectly coupled with the communicationscomponent 12, the location determining component 14, the display 16, thecomputing device 18, the memory 20, and the user interface 22. The powersource 24 may comprise conventional power supply elements, such asbatteries, battery packs, etc. The power source 24 may also comprisepower conduits, connectors, and receptacles operable to receivebatteries, battery connectors, or power cables. For example, the powersource 24 may include both a battery to enable portable operation and apower input for receiving power from an external source such anautomobile.

To preserve battery life, the GPS receiver or other location-determiningcomponent 14 may be switched off periodically. For example, the GPSreceiver may be alternatively switched on for 30 seconds, off for twominutes, then back on for 30 seconds. If the location-determiningcomponent 14 determines the electronic device 10 is moving quickly (forexample, if it is in a car or train), it may be switched on morefrequently.

The transmitter 26 and receiver 28 may be provided to enable wirelesstransmission of information. The devices may be separate components orcombined in a single transceiver assembly. For example, in exemplaryembodiments, the device 10 includes a Frequency Modulated (FM) receiverfor receiving information such as music, Radio Data system (RDS)information, FM Traffic Message Channel (TMC) information, direct bandinformation such as MSN Direct™ data, or the like. Alternatively, or inaddition, the transmitter 26 and receiver 28 assembly may comprise ashort range transmitter and transmitter such as a Bluetooth™receiver/transmitter assembly. The above-described functions of thetransmitter 26 and receiver 28 may also be performed by thecommunications component 12 so that the transmitter 26 and receiver 28are not needed.

The I/O ports 30 permit data and other information to be transferred toand from the computing device 18 and the location determining component14. The I/O ports 30 may include a Secure Disk (SD) card slot, Mini SDCard slot, Micro SD Card slot or the like for receiving removable SDcards, Mini SD Cards, Micro SD Cards, or the like, and a USB port forcoupling with a USB cable connected to another computing device such asa personal computer. Navigational software, cartographic maps and otherdata and information may be loaded in the device 10 via the I/O ports,the receiver 28, or the communications component 12.

The computing device 18 may also be coupled with a pedometer,accelerometer, compass, or other dead-reckoning components which allowit to determine the device's location when the location determiningcomponent 14 cannot receive satellite or other signals. This permits thedevice to link identification information for incoming communicationswith location data even when the electronic device is used indoors (forexample, in a large shopping mall or airport).

The housing 32 may be handheld or otherwise portable to facilitate easytransport of the device 10. In some embodiments, the housing 32 may beconfigured for mounting within or on an automobile or other vehicle in agenerally conventional manner. The housing 32 may be constructed from asuitable lightweight and impact-resistant material such as, for example,plastic, nylon, aluminum, or any combination thereof. The housing 32 mayinclude one or more appropriate gaskets or seals to make itsubstantially waterproof or resistant. The housing 32 may take anysuitable shape for size, and the particular size, weight andconfiguration of the housing may be changed without departing from thescope of the present invention.

The components shown in FIG. 2 and described herein need not bephysically connected to one another since wireless communication amongthe various depicted components is permissible and intended to fallwithin the scope of the present invention.

In operation, the computing device 18 receives the identificationinformation from the communications component 12 and/or from memory 20and receives the location data from the location determining component14 and then links the identification information with the location data.The identification information and location data may be linked by addinga geocode or geotag to the identification information. “Geocode” and“geotag” are used synonymously herein to refer to a geographical codeoperable to identify a point or area at or on the surface of the Earth.The geotags or geocodes are not limited to a particular format. In someembodiments, the generated geocodes may be embodied in a latitude andlongitude format that corresponds to the latitude and longitude of aposition on the Earth. Thus, in some embodiments, the geocodes may be indegree:minute, degree:minute:second, decimal degree format, and/or theGeographic Coordinate System (1993) format. The one or more generatedgeocodes may be stored by the computing device 18 within one or morecomputer-readable memories.

The geocodes may be generated from address databases, algorithms,look-up tables, or other applications and programs operable to convert,identify, locate, or otherwise define a geocode based on data acquiredor generated by the location determining component 14. In someembodiments, the computing device 18 may access other devices to acquirethe geocode and/or the computing device 18 may have information storedwithin its memory to enable the generation of a geocode from a givenaddress.

The computing device 18 may also link the identification informationwith the location data by storing and cross-referencing the informationand data in a database or table such as the database 42 shown in FIG. 7.The first column 44 of the database 42 lists identification informationfor all of the communications received by or transmitted from theelectronic device 10 over a particular period of time (for example,during the current day). The first listing 46 in column 44 shows that anincoming call (IC) was received from the phone number 816-474-XXXX onDec. 22, 2007 at 9:08 PM and lasted 12 minutes. Similarly, the secondlisting 48 shows that an instant message (IM) was received from816-213-XXXX on Dec. 22, 2007 at 9:30 AM. Finally, the third listing 50shows that a voicemail message (VM) was received from 816-374-XXXX onDec. 24, 2007 at 9:30 PM.

The second column 52 of the database 42 lists the location data linkedto the identification information. The first listing 54 in column 52shows that the IC shown in listing 46 was received when the electronicdevice 10 was at latitude 38.82 and longitude 94.88 and ended when theelectronic device was at latitude 38.85 and longitude 94.90. Similarly,the second listing 56 in column 52 shows that the IM shown in listing 48was received when the electronic device 10 was at latitude 38.81 andlongitude 94.97. Finally, the last listing 58 in column 52 shows thatthe VM shown in listing 50 was received when the electronic device 10was at latitude 38.84 and longitude 95.02.

The computing device 18 or other component of the electronic device 10may also perform a map-matching procedure as described above tocorrelate the latitude and longitude location data shown in the secondcolumn 52 of FIG. 7 to map-based addresses or intersections. FIG. 8illustrates a database 60 after such a map-mapping procedure. The firstcolumn 62 of the database 60 is the same as the first column 44 of thedatabase 42. The second column 64 of the database 60 includes map-basedlocation data which corresponds to the longitude and latitude locationdata of the second column 52 of the database 42. For example, the firstlisting 66 in database 60 shows the map-based addresses for thegeographical coordinate shown in the first listing 54 of the database42; the second listing 68 shows the addresses for the coordinates shownin the listing 56; and the third listing 70 shows the addresses for thecoordinates shown in the listing 58. The particular geographicalcoordinates and the corresponding map-based addresses shown in FIGS. 7and 8 are examples only and are not necessarily accurate.

The computing device 18 may also display a representation of thelocation data alongside a representation of the incoming call. In oneembodiment, the computing device 18 displays a cartographic map and alocation symbol or other marker on the map to denote the position of thedevice 10 when an incoming call was received. A user may then scrollover or otherwise select the marker to retrieve and display some of theidentification information for the incoming call such as the caller'sphone number.

For example, a map 72 such as the one shown in FIG. 4 may be displayed.The map 72 shows conventional cartographic information such as streets,highways, and other roads. Location markers or other representations ofwhere the electronic device was located when communications werereceived by or transmitted from the electronic device may besuperimposed on the map. For example, FIG. 4 shows four markers, 74, 76,78, 80 denoting that four communications were made or received atlocations represented by the markers.

Representations of the communications may also be displayed on the map72. For example, a marker 82 may denote that an incoming call wasreceived by the electronic device when it was located at the positiondenoted by the marker 74. Similarly, a marker 84 may denote that anincoming call was received by the electronic device when it was locatedat the position denoted by the marker 76. Similarly, a marker 86 maydenote that a voicemail message was received by the electronic devicewhen it was located at the position denoted by the marker 78. Finally, amarker 88 may denote that an instant message was received by the devicewhen it was located at the position denoted by the marker 80.

Any number of representations of the linked location data andidentification information may be displayed on the map 72 or a similarmap. For example, representations of the location data andidentification information for all incoming communications receivedduring the current day, week, or other time period may be displayed. Therepresentations of the location data and the representations of theidentification information may also be combined. For example, the marker74 and the marker 82 may be combined into a single marker that bothrepresents the location of the device when a call was received and someof the identification information for the call.

A user may scroll over or otherwise select any of the markers 74, 76,78, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88 to obtain and display some of the location dataand/or the identification information. For example, as shown in FIG. 5,an overlay 90 may be displayed when a user scrolls over the marker 74 or82 in FIG. 4. The overlay 90 may show the name or ID of the callingparty, the caller's phone number, the duration of the call, or any otheridentification information or location data associated with the call.

The computing device 18 or other component of the electronic device 10may also display a representation of a communication along with arepresentation of when the communication was first received and when itended. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a marker 92 may show that acommunication was first received when the device was at that locationand a marker 94 may show that the communication ended when the devicewas at that location. The markers 92,94 may also indicate that thecommunication was an incoming call and denote the starting and endingtimes of the call.

The computing device 18 may also display the linked location data andidentification information in other ways. For example, a user may wishto display some of the linked location data or identificationinformation along with the coordinates of points along a path which theuser has traveled. These collection of points, commonly referred to as atrack log, are the electronic equivalent of laying down a bread crumbtrail to mark a path. These points can then be shown strung together ona map page so the user can see where he or she has been. The computingdevice 18 may generate and display a track log with representations ofthe communications received by or transmitted from the device while atpositions denoted by the tracklog.

The linked location data and identification information may also bedisplayed textually rather than on a map. For example, the computingdevice may display a list of communications sorted by the distancebetween the user's current location and the user's location when thecommunications were transmitted or received. Similarly, the list ofcommunications may be sorted based on their distance from someuser-specified location such as a shopping mall.

The device may also display a chronologically-ordered communication log.A user may then select a communication from the list to view thelocation of the device when the communication was received ortransmitted. The location may be a textual description or shown on amap.

Embodiments of the present invention provide synergistic features notfound in conventional location-enabled cell phones. For example, in someembodiments, the present invention may be used when a user receives aphone call or misses a phone call while at a specific location or whileperforming a specific task (e.g., while shopping at a shopping mall).The user may want to return the call later but may not remember thephone number of the calling party or the exact time the call wasreceived. The user may remember, however, where he or she was when thecall was received or missed. The user may operate the user interface 22on the device to display a map such as the one shown in FIG. 4 showingmakers denoting the positions of the device when incoming calls werereceived. The user can then scroll over any of the markers to obtainidentification information for the call received when the device was atthat location. The user can also consult a list of calls sorted based ontheir locations as discussed above and obtain identification for a callby selecting it from the list. The computing device may alsoautomatically dial the phone number of the calling party, play arecorded voice mail, or perform some other function when the userselects or otherwise interacts with the marker.

The identification information for incoming communications and thelinked location data may also be downloaded to an external personalcomputer or other computing device. A user may then display theidentification information and location data to more closely analyzewhere the electronic device was located when incoming communicationswere received. For example, a number of the electronic devices may beused by a trucking company, package delivery company, taxi company, orany similar company to track the movement and communications of a fleetof vehicles. The identification information and linked location data maybe downloaded from the electronic devices to an external computer everynight or may be transmitted to the external computer by the transmitteror the communications component more frequently or even in real-time.

Parents may also analyze the identification information and locationdata created by electronic devices used by their children to keep trackof where their children are when they are receiving phone calls. Forexample, a parent may download or otherwise receive the identificationinformation and linked location data and determine that their child isimpermissibly receiving phone calls from a friend while the child is atschool or at a part-time job.

FIG. 9 illustrates certain steps in an exemplary method 900 of using theelectronic device 10. The particular order of the steps illustrated inFIG. 9 and described herein can be altered without departing from thescope of the invention. For example, some of the illustrated steps maybe reversed, combined, or even removed entirely.

In step 902, the communication component 12 of the electronic device 10sends or receives a communication. As mentioned above, the communicationmay be an incoming or outgoing phone call, a missed incoming phone call,a voicemail message, a text message, an instant message, or any othertype of communication that can be made with an electronic device. In aparticular embodiment, the communication component receives an incomingphone call in step 902.

In step 904, the location-determining component 14 determines thelocation of the electronic device 10 at the time the communication wastransmitted or received. For example, the location-determining componentmay determine the longitude and latitude of the device at the time anincoming phone call is received.

In step 906, the computing device 18 stores identification informationfor the communication. As mentioned above, the identificationinformation may include the caller's phone number, the name or otheridentification for the caller, the day and time the call was received,and the duration of the call. The identification information may bestored in the memory 20 or other memory residing in or accessible by thecomputing device 18. The information may also be stored in an externalcomputing device for later retrieval by the computing device 18.

In step 908, the computing device 18 stores location data correspondingto the location of the electronic device when the communication wasreceived or transmitted. For example, the computing device 18 may storethe latitude and longitude of the device when an incoming phone call isfirst received, the latitude and longitude of the device when the phonecall has ended, and the latitudes and longitudes for severalintermediate locations if the incoming call lasts for more than a fewminutes. The computing device 18 may also perform a map-matchingprocedure and store map-based location data as described above.

In step 910, the computing device 18 then links the storedidentification information with the stored location data. This may bedone by adding a geocode or geotag to the identification information asexplained above. The geotag may consist of the longitude and latitude ofthe device at the time the communication was received or transmitted.

FIG. 10 illustrates certain steps in another exemplary method 1000 ofusing the electronic device 10. As with the method 900 illustrated inFIG. 9, the particular order of the steps illustrated in FIG. 10 anddescribed herein can be altered without departing from the scope of theinvention.

Steps 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008, and 1010 are essentially identical tosteps 902, 904, 906, 908, and 910 discussed above. In step 1012, thecomputing device or other component of the electronic device 10 displaysa representation of the identification information and a representationof the location data so that a user may more easily see where he or shewas when a communication was received or transmitted. For example, a mapwith markers such as the ones shown in FIG. 4 may be displayed.

In step 1014, a user may scroll-over or otherwise select one of therepresentations to obtain more information about a communication. Forexample, a user may scroll-over the marker 74 or 82 in FIG. 4 to learnmore about the incoming call denoted by the markers.

In step 1016, the computing device 18 or other component of theelectronic device displays at least some of the identificationinformation or location data linked to the marker. For example, as shownin FIG. 5, the computing device may display the overlay 90 to show thephone number, name, and other identification information associated withan incoming call.

FIG. 11 illustrates certain steps in another exemplary method 1100 ofusing the electronic device 10. As with the methods 900 and 1000illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, the particular order of the stepsillustrated in FIG. 11 and described herein can be altered withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

Steps 1102, 1104, 1106, 1108, and 1110 are essentially identical tosteps 902, 904, 906, 908, and 910 of FIG. 9. In step 1112, the computingdevice 18 or other component of the electronic device displays arepresentation of the communication along with a representation of whenthe communication was first received and when it ended. For example, asshown in FIG. 6, a marker 92 may show the location of the electronicdevice when a communication was first received and a marker 94 may showthe location of the electronic device when the communication ended.

Although embodiments of the invention have been described with referenceto the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may beemployed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scopeof the invention as recited in the claims. For example, embodiments ofthe invention may also link location data with identificationinformation associated with outgoing phone calls and other outgoingcommunications. The identification information may identify the calledparty's phone number and name and the day and approximate time the callwas made. The location data may identify the location of the device 10when the outgoing communication was made and/or when it ended.Representations of the identification information and/or representationsof the location data may then be displayed on a map. This permits a userto retrieve information about an outgoing communication even if the userdoes not remember when the communication was transmitted or the phonenumber or e-mail address of the receiving party. As long as the userremembers his or her approximate location when sending thecommunication, the user can retrieve all desired information about thecommunication.

1. An electronic device comprising: a communications component forreceiving and transmitting communications; a location-determiningcomponent for determining locations of the electronic device; acomputing device coupled with the communications component and thelocation-determining component, the computing device operable toassociate an incoming communication received by the communicationscomponent with a corresponding location of the device determined by thelocation-determining component at an approximate time the incomingcommunication was received by the communications component; a memorycoupled with the computing device, the memory operable to store dataassociated with incoming communications and associated locations; and adisplay coupled with the computing device, the display operable topresent a listing of the incoming communications and associatedlocations.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the displayed listingincludes phone numbers for the incoming communications and correspondinggeographic information.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the displayedlisting includes phone numbers for the incoming communications andcorresponding street addresses.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein thedisplayed listing includes caller ID information associated with theincoming communications.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the displayedlisting includes email addresses associated with the incomingcommunications.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the communicationcomponent is a cellular transceiver for transmitting and receivingmobile phone calls over a cellular telephone network and thelocation-determining component is a GPS receiver for receiving GPSsignals from a plurality of GPS satellites and for determining thelocations of the electronic device as a function of the receivedsignals.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the incoming communication isan incoming phone call, a missed incoming phone call, a voice mailmessage, an incoming text message, or an incoming instant message. 8.The device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is operable todetermine a map-based location of the electronic device at theapproximate time the incoming communication was received and associatethe map-based location with the incoming communication.
 9. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the computing device is further operable to sort thedisplayed listing based on a user input.
 10. The device of claim 1,wherein the computing device is further operable to sort the displayedlisting by the distance between the device's current location and thedevice's location when the communications were received.
 11. The deviceof claim 1, wherein the computing device is further operable to searchthe displayed listing based on a user input.
 12. An electronic devicecomprising: a communications component for receiving and transmittingcommunications; a location-determining component for determininglocations of the electronic device; a computing device coupled with thecommunications component and the location-determining component, thecomputing device operable to associate incoming communications receivedby the communications component with corresponding locations of thedevice determined by the location-determining component at approximatetimes the incoming communications were received by the communicationscomponent; a memory coupled with the computing device, the memoryoperable to store data associated with the incoming communications andassociated locations; and a display coupled with the computing device,the display operable to present a sortable listing of the incomingcommunications and associated locations, wherein the incomingcommunications are selected from the group consisting of an incomingphone call, a missed incoming phone call, a voice mail message, anincoming text message, and an incoming instant message.
 13. The deviceof claim 12, wherein the displayed listing includes phone numbers forthe incoming communications and corresponding geographic information.14. The device of claim 12, wherein the displayed listing includes phonenumbers for the incoming communications and corresponding streetaddresses.
 15. The device of claim 12, wherein the displayed listingincludes caller ID information associated with the incomingcommunications.
 16. The device of claim 12, wherein the displayedlisting includes email addresses associated with the incomingcommunications.
 17. The device of claim 12, wherein the communicationcomponent is a cellular transceiver for transmitting and receivingmobile phone calls over a cellular telephone network and thelocation-determining component is a GPS receiver for receiving GPSsignals from a plurality of GPS satellites and for determining thelocations of the electronic device as a function of the receivedsignals.
 18. The device of claim 12, wherein the computing device isoperable to determine a map-based location of the electronic device atthe approximate time the incoming communication was received andassociate the map-based location with the incoming communication. 19.The device of claim 12, wherein the computing device is further operableto sort the displayed listing by the distance between the device'scurrent location and the device's location when the communications werereceived
 20. The device of claim 12, wherein the computing device isfurther operable to search the displayed listing based on a user input.